Race and Discourse Analysis in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness - Essay Example

Race and Dis Analysis in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Introduction Cornel West has powerfully expressed his belief that the greatest predicament of the modern world is the marginalization, distortion, and misrepresentation of homosexuals, women, people of color, and other members of the so-called ‘the Other’, by powerful institutions. The misrepresentation of these people has resulted in their disenfranchisement or depoliticization and segregation from the mainstream social order (During 256). The new cultural politics of difference reacts to this crisis of representation. West argues that the goal of these marginalized groups is “to empower and enable social action and, if possible, to enlist collective insurgency for the expansion of freedom, democracy, and individuality” (During 257). Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a response to the political climate of the 19th century, which was characterized by racist and imperialist ideologies. Many critics have condemned the novel as a racist narrative. However, a deeper examination of the novel reveals that Conrad’s perspective of ‘difference’, particularly in relation to race, is more in favor of ‘the Other’ than the mainstream. But basically, Conrad’s novel is an answer to the political challenge of the new cultural politics of difference. The New Cultural Politics of Difference in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Heart of Darkness has been routinely criticized by literary scholars because it purportedly misrepresents political and cultural experience. Such disapproval is rooted in an alleged inconsistency between ‘actual’ reality and the reality constructed by the author in his narrative. Chinua Achebe is agitated by this (Goonetilleke 18): Conrad was a bloody racist… And the question is whether a novel which celebrates this dehumanization, which depersonalizes a portion of the human race, can be called a great work of art. My answer is: No, it cannot. However, it is the contention of this essay that Conrad’s work is in fact a response to the overriding racist and imperialistic attitudes during his time. Nowadays, even critics who believe that the key messages of the narrative focus on the heart of humankind instead of being intently focused on the issue of race or African culture should however acknowledge that the narrative arises from the core of imperialism and racism, and that it has much to reveal about how the White people treated the black Africans (Goonetilleke 18). Conrad’s work is symbolic and obviously real at the same time. Conrad portrays traditional Western concepts of imperialism through the aunt, and reveals their deceptiveness and inaccuracy through Marlow. Marlow views the entire city ‘a whited sepulchre’ (Conrad 24). Its ghastly features, alongside hints of pretense, connect to the empire’s heartlessness, and Conrad describes how the ‘success’ of the city is rooted in imperialism. More significant is the first interaction of Marlow with Black Africans, in an episode vital to the formation of the narrative’s core political perspective. As Marlow passes through the ‘River’, he confronts obstacles, deaths, and fears. When he reached the Central Station he is instructed to go to the Inner Station to fetch the very ill Kurtz. Approaching his destination his vessel is assailed by tribesmen. However, the narrative focuses on the relationship between Marlow and Kurtz. Kurtz, just like Marlow, is a committed civil servant who is assigned to Africa. But the African wilderness drastically transformed the character of Kurtz. Exposed to the crude viciousness of the wilderness Kurtz has descended into a state of immorality, corruption, and malevolence. Nonetheless, the ghosts of his former moral self are expressed in his deathbed as he exclaims deplorable words of regret: “The horror! The horror!” (Conrad 115) In Conrad’s narrative, the chasm of the Void is an unchanging and terrifying entity, and that there is a wickedness which inhabits every human being. Facing the harsh realities of imperialism, Marlow discovers proofs of immoral and illegal activities in all places. Oppression or domination is deeply engraved in the structures that encourage the invasion of the world, with its inhumane abuse of the native peoples. As argued by Achebe, Marlow is ‘overjoyed’ and intimidated at the same time by the thought that he could have a similarity with the black Africans. Although Achebe is right in arguing that it is not “the differentness that worries Conrad but the lurking hint of kinship, of common ancestry” (Barnet 804), he is unable, quite disappointingly, to establish the connotations of his interpretation beyond simply criticizing Conrad of expressing a fear of difference. But in a closer analysis, the connection between the colonized and the colonizer is distinguished by an intricate combination of disgust and desirability. The colonized or the representation of ‘otherness’ is an expression of difference situated within the realm of identity and history; in fact, Heart of Darkness is filled with dual meanings (Barnet 804). For instance, Marlow says (Conrad 65): And between whiles I had to look after the savage who was fireman. He was an improved specimen; he could fire up a vertical boiler. He was there below me and, upon my word, to look at him was as edifying as seeing a dog in a parody of breeches and a feather hat walking on his hind legs. A few months of training had done for that really fine chap. Basically, Conrad communicates irony in his interpretation of colonialism. Analyzing the above statement it becomes apparent that Marlow’s portrayal of the fireman as an “improved specimen” (Conrad 65; Goonetilleke 23) functions paradoxically to highlight the depravity of the ideology of colonialism and imperialism. It must be mentioned that Conrad deemphasizes the dynamic resistance of black Africans to the White Europeans in Congo. In Conrad’s depiction of Fresleven’s demise, the audience witnesses the white Fresleven mugging a docile chief; the conflict was an issue of pride and a possibility of a native rebellion. As described by Barnet (1997), Conrad changes a noble scene into a nonsensical, domestic quarrel; white pride is trampled as Fresleven bargains over hens and beats a weak old black man, exposing the trivial degrading positions into which the White people are brought by conceit and overconfidence, the utter disappointment of the White people who desire to live as gods and are frustrated by the black Africans. The Fresleven episode is important because it allowed Marlow to visit the Dark Continent. Fresleven is more essential as a syndrome than an individual, and demonstrates the transformations in outlooks and deeds of the White people facilitated by the colonial state. Nevertheless, readers nowadays should be cautious to view these narrative aspects in the perspective of time. While it may appear improper to devalue the significance of the black African’s opposition to subjugation, Conrad was in fact arguing that any indications of ‘hostility’ by black Africans may be, and were, used as validation for greater abuse and repression. Conrad actually defends the black Africans and often depicts them as victims. However, it must be acknowledged as well that there is no continuous effort in the narrative to represent the culture of the black African people. Due to the character of Marlow, this effort may have been impossible. Marlow is ignorant of African culture. Yet, his lack of knowledge may be reasonable and justifiable, particularly because he does not denounce or criticize those things he cannot understand or do not know about. The black Africans, instead of playing merely a minor role, are vital to the story, although their ‘being there’ is adequate for the place they take up in the narrative (Goonetilleke 33). Their existence in the story is intended for the audience, for them to witness how the White people treat the natives. Conrad’s Heart of Darkness challenges the doctrine of ‘the white man’s burden’, which states that the White people have the responsibility to carry out a civilizing mission in primitive or ‘backward’ cultures. The scornful denunciation of imperialism by Marlow is shown immediately, during the incident with Fresleven, when he utters “I should think the cause of progress got the hens, anyhow” (Conrad 24). The boat is a representation not just of European invasion but also of civilization, modernity, and development. The illustrations of progress and civilization in the narrative are equally unpleasant: the commercial dealings and handling of laborers are a disgrace, the construction of the railway is disorganized, and the steamer is falling to pieces. Imperialism damages both the colonizer and the colonized; of the colonizers, it is Kurtz who is most profoundly damaged, although it is the subjugated black Africans who go through the greatest sufferings. Essentially, as shown by Conrad, the concept of ‘moral’ civilization is a myth. Conclusions Based on the discussion, it is apparent that Cornel West and Joseph Conrad share a common view of the cultural politics of difference. West, in his article The New Cultural Politics of Difference, blatantly expresses his condemnation of the marginalization and misrepresentation of ‘the Other’ by influential and powerful entities. He therefore promotes a sort of ‘class consciousness’ among the marginalized peoples in order to overthrow these forces that perpetuate their inferior position in society. In a similar way, Conrad, although in a more indirect, metaphorical manner, blames the institutions of imperialism and colonialism for the oppression and abuse of the colonized and the psychological damages to the colonizers. He celebrates the possibility of a native uprising as a way of defeating the White peoples’ hegemony. Works Cited Barnet, Sylvan. Literature: Thinking, Reading, and Writing Critically. New York: Addison-Wesley Longman, Limited, 1997. Print. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Italy: Giunti Editore, 2010. Print. During, Simon. The Cultural Studies Reader. New York: Routledge, 1999. Print. Goonetilleke, D.C.R.A. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. New York: Routledge, 2007. Print. Read More